“What I was so impressed by was this ability to be natural in a virtual world; this ability to form one on one conversations and to self navigate yourself. So many virtual tools you’re required to go where somebody puts you, this is the ability to literally move in the virtual space as you would naturally in the physical space and interact with individuals and content the way you would naturally in a physical space. I loved it.”

-Kathy Henrich, CEO, Milwaukee Tech Hub Coalition

Overview

The MKE Tech Hub Coalition is a group of 65 organizations that collaborate around their mission to grow economic prosperity in their region and as individuals. The Coalition holds large quarterly meetings with their members however, due to the pandemic, this was their first experience hosting a virtual event. In November of 2020, the Coalition hosted their one-year anniversary celebration on SignalWire Events. This event brought both members of the organization and the Milwaukee community together to honor their accomplishments and brainstorm plans for the future.

About the Milwaukee Tech Hub Coalition

The MKE Tech Hub Coalition brings together companies, entrepreneurs, educators, community organizations, and other individuals invested in growing tech talent and innovation in the region. Their mission is to double the tech talent in the Milwaukee region in order to drive regional economic success, foster tech opportunities, and meet Employers’ growing need for skilled tech talent. Their founding members include Accenture, Northwestern Mutual, and Advocate Aurora.

The Challenge:

It was important to MKE Tech Hub that they replicate the feel of their traditional quarterly meetings as closely as possible in a virtual world.

The Coalition needed to avoid an event that relied on one-way communication and instead wanted a two-way dialogue between leaders and attendees so they could get valuable feedback that would shape the future plans of MKE Tech Hub.

The Solution:

The MKE Tech Hub was able to create a conference-style event that accomplished the natural feel they wanted by using SignalWire Events as their virtual platform.

SignalWire Events allowed the Coalition to have many rooms available to attendees with different styles of content so they could have the freedom to choose where to spend their time. Their “Main Tent” room was dedicated to hosting presentations while breakout rooms were dedicated to panel discussions and collaborative workshops.

The Coalition customized their Events Site with Tech Hub branding and Milwaukee imagery. When attendees joined the event, it was clear that they were coming into a space specifically for the MKE Tech Hub.

The Coalition had a few rooms open dedicated to casual networking. Their “Lobby” and “Coffee Shop” rooms were spaces where attendees could converse naturally, just like at a physical event. These rooms featured background noise and music to fill up the space and avoid the awkwardness of silence which created a very natural feel for attendees.

SignalWire Event’s Room Navigator allowed attendees to see who was in which room and easily self navigate throughout the space, giving them the freedom to join the rooms that most interested them whether it be an impromptu discussion with a colleague or a presentation.

The MKE Tech Hub Coalition received overwhelmingly positive feedback from attendees on the quality of the event. The event was able to successfully feel like the in-person meetings they were used to when using SignalWire Events. The Coalition plans to integrate their virtual space in their future plans and events in order to increase accessibility to their organization.

“I have recommended SignalWire [to many others] because I’m so passionate about it. I truly believe in the value proposition that SignalWire has been able to provide in the ability to act as close to as in-person [events] as possible in this virtual world.”

-Kathy Henrich, CEO, Milwaukee Tech Hub Coalition

Results:

Natural Environment:

SignalWire Events allows for engaging presentations, Q&A sessions, and hallway chat, creating a natural feeling environment.

Customized Space:

Easy to customize event spaces and settings; MKE Tech Hub branded each room to give it a unique feel and use case.

Easy Navigation:

The Room Navigator makes it easy for attendees to self navigate within the events space, giving them the freedom to join the rooms that interest them.

Quality:

Excellent audio and video quality make it easy to have engaging and thorough discussions or presentations.

Learn more about the Milwaukee Tech Hub Coalition here.